Certified Nurse Anesthetist Career Path - Essay Example

Certified Nurse Anesthetist Career Path Your School and #, Semester 2 Review of the Literature Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists or, CRNA’s play a vital role within the healthcare system. A CRNA can work within labor and delivery, trauma, surgery, pain management and medical testing centers. There are multiple opportunities for CRNA’s to find employment as only 14 of the 50 states within the U.S. report that the do not have a shortage of personnel working in the field of anesthesia (Jordan, 2011). To become a CRNA, a person must start by earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or similar degree. A person must also hold a license as a registered nurse and have a minimum of one year experience in an acute care setting. The next step to becoming a CRNA is to attend graduate school for the study of nurse anesthesia. There are 92 accredited programs within the United States to choose from. Completion of this program will give a person a master’s degree and will take anywhere from 24 – 36 months. Upon completion, candidates must pass a national exam in order to obtain their CRNA certification. Once practicing as a CRNA, this certification must be maintained by completing 40 hours of continuing education every two years (Tunajek, 2004). On the job, a certified CRNA is responsible for the overall anesthesia needs of patients. This includes assessment, preparation, the giving of anesthesia and recovery. CRNA’s can work in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, dentists, ophthalmologists, plastic surgery centers, labor and delivery centers and medical testing laboratories. In the United States, 60% of all the anesthesia given each year is done by a CRNA (Jordan, 2011). As with any career, being a CRNA has its challenges. In terms of practical, on the job concerns, the research often discusses the challenge of working with obese patients. CRNA’s are seeing an increased number of obese patients, as obesity in the United States is growing very rapidly (Merwin, 2009). There is also an increased number of obesity-related surgeries in which CRNA’s are often highly involved in the anesthesia needs of these patients (“A Challenge,” 2005). There is an increased risk when CRNA’s work with obese patients due to the complications that often accompanies obesity. These may include, narrow airway, risk of pharyngeal collapse, possibility of restrictive lung disease, reduced functional residual capacity and hypertension (“A Challenge,” 2005). In terms of the more personal challenges of being a CRNA, the literature often focuses on the stress and burnout that CRNA’s often experience. Both Alves, and Chipas and McKenna conducted research on the stress levels of CRNA’s. Both studies discussed how stress is both good and bad. Stress can cause a person to rise to a challenge and to be motivated to solve a problem or accomplish a goal. Stress can also lead to the inability to get anything finished, disagreements with coworkers and can manifest itself in physical illnesses such as high blood pressure, ulcers, obesity and substance abuse. Burnout is a response to stress and definitely affects CRNA’s. “Burnout is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion caused by long-term exposture to demanding work situations, or the cumulative result of stress” (Chipas and McKenna, 124). Cordes and Doutherty conducted a study in which it was discovered that CRNA’s often have a personality type that leads to a high rate of stress. CRNA’s tend to experience burnout because of the constant face paced job, their strong desire to help others and to be in control. As with any career, there are also legal and ethical responsibilities that come along with being a CRNA. In general, these responsibilities are the same that you would expect from any field of work. The CRNA should be nondiscriminatory in their practice, should continually focus on the dignity, health and well being of their patients, be honest and take responsibility for their actions as a CRNA (code of ethics). In terms of legal responsibilities, a CRNA always needs to be appropriately licensed when working as a CRNA. CRNA’s also need to follow the rules and regulations of the state in which they are working. Each state has different laws regarding supervision requirements and licensing (Jordan, 2011). A CRNA has the legal responsibility for knowing and following the laws of their state. Personal Reflection I followed Richard Smith, a CRNA working out of Cooper Hospital in New Jersey. He attended CRNA school in 1976, so has seen a lot of changes in the field since he first started. He was fortunate enough to have his education paid for due to receiving a stipend. It was very interesting to talk to Richard and then compare that to the literature review. As was mentioned in the literature review, the research says that there is an overwhelming need for more CRNA’s throughout the United States. However, in talking with Richard about this issue, he said that within the tri-state area where he works, there are too many CRNA’s making it difficult to acquire a job. He stated that only the more rural areas have a serious need for CRNA’s. Richard also talked about the stress level of his job. His views were in agreement with the literature in that it can be a very stressful job, especially when something doesn’t go as planned. He said that the more experience you have working as a CRNA, the less stress level you will have as fewer situations are new. Also corresponding to the literature review was his discussion about treating obese patients. He said that the number of obese patients he sees has steadily increased over the years and that he is always concerned about complications with these patients, especially in terms of their airway remaining open. Another concern that was brought up in my discussion with Richard was the challenge of treating pediatric patients. He stated that working on children is the most uncomfortable part of his job. He says that children are more unpredictable in their response to anesthesia than adults are. I hadn’t thought much about the idea of treating children and so I was happy to have this discussion so it will remain in my head as I learn more about this career. It was very valuable for me to see a CRNA in action. I now feel like a have a very good understanding of exactly what a CRNA does when they are at work. I can see the importance of paying attention to the details and remaining focused on the patient. Richard said there is often so set formula for administering the anesthesia. He often goes off of his intuition and experience. This makes me a bit nervous in terms of being a new CRNA. I feel like I could be a successful CRNA. I have the ability to remain calm and focused during high stress situations. I also believe I have a good sense of intuition, which, according to Richard is an important aspect of the job. I also have a personal interest in surgery and would enjoy being in the operating room. I already know that I will not be happy performing traditional nursing, bed side, duties as my long term career, which is why I’m researching being a CRNA as my long term career path. Works Cited A challenge for the CRNA (2005). AANA Journal, 59(2), A3-A3. Alves, S.L. (2005). A study of occupational stress, scope of practice, and collaboration in nurse anesthetists practicing in anesthesia care team settings. AANA Journal, 73(6), 443-52. Chipas, A., & McKenna, D. (2011). Stress and burnout in nurse anesthesia. AANA Journal, 79(2), 122-128. Georgia Association for Nurse Anesthetist. (2011). Code of ethics. Jordan, L. (2011). Studies support removing CRNA supervision rule to maximize anesthesia workforce and ensure patient access to care. AANA Journal, 79(2), 101-104. Merwin, E., Stern, S., Jordan, L., & Bucci, M., (2009). New estimates for CRNA vacancies. AANA Journal, 77(2), 121-9. Tunajek, S. (2004). Quiet revolutions: The CRNA scope of practice. Nurse Practitioner, 03611817, 12-14. Table of Contents I. Review of the Literature A. CRNA Education Requirements B. Job Responsibilities C. Challenges D. Legal and Ethical Responsibilities II. Personal Reflection A. Background of CRNA Richard Smith B. Need for CRNA’s C. Job Stress Level D. Obese Patients E. Pediatric Patients F. Value of Shadowing G. Personal Feeling Toward CRNA Career Path Read More